Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Travel Guide
This year for my boyfriends 35th birthday I decided to take him to Brazil. It has become a tradition of ours to gift travel for our birthdays. It’s a time for us to relax, unwind, spend uninterrupted quality time together, explore a different culture, try and enjoy new foods, and add a stamp to our passports.
While we went during a time when visas were not required starting April 10th, 2025, US citizens will be required to purchase visas to travel to Brazil.
Traveling to Brazil
From Philadelphia, there were no nonstop flights. I decided for us to get a 2 for 1 out of the travel and spend the day in Miami where we had a layover. We checked the bulk of our luggage so all we had was my purpose and a semi-empty carry-on suitcase in case we made purchases in Miami and Brazil. Our flight was about 2 and a half hours from Philadelphia to Miami allowing us to arrive around 11:30 am just in time for Brunch. We ate, did some shopping, ate again, and shopped a little more. (we rolled around a carry-on bag that we brought for extra items). We departed Miami at 11:00 pm and arrived in Rio De Janeiro at approximately 6:30 am. Clearing customs took less than 5 minutes the longest time spent in the airport in Brazil was walking to customs.
Where to Stay
On this trip, because of the distance, I wanted us to be able to explore two different areas of Rio de Janeiro. We stayed 3 days in Barra da Tijuca and 3 Days in Copacabana.
Hilton Barra Rio de Janeiro
This Hilton was located in Barra da Tijuca, a beautiful area but quite different from Copacabana. The views of the mountain here were immaculate, nothing I’d ever seen before. Waking up to that site daily was amazing. This Hotel did have a shopping mall directly across from the parking lot. From this location, we did have to Uber to the beach and the restaurants. But it was a very calm area to stay in.
JW Marriot Rio De Janeiro
This hotel was in the perfect location in Copacabana, directly across from the beach. Now, I will be honest and say this entire strip is filled with hotels, so if you are brand loyal to a hotel, I’m sure it was available on the strip (Fairmount, Windsor, Hilton, and many more). The two hotels that seemed to be a little more secluded and not as much walking distance of the shops, bars, and restaurants were the Sheraton Resort and Hotel of America.
While this is not considered a beachfront resort the beach is directly across the street. The Hotel provides beach chairs, umbrellas, towels, and water daily for their guests. You just need to provide your room number. There is a rooftop bar and pool for the days you don’t want to go to the beach. The restaurant was on-site, and a lobby bar was available. Overall, it was a great stay here.
Things to Do
Well start first in Barra da Tijuca
City Tour – the price was about $45.00 per person for the tour we used, however, they can range from from $40.00-$150 which includes round trip transportation, tickets to Christ the Redeemer and the train, tickets to Sugar Loaf Mountain, and a Brazilian Steakhouse Full Lunch. Please know this is a full-day tour. Pickup was early and drop-off was around 6:00 pm. You can book at either the company we used or through another full day in Rio tour company with amazing reviews.
Christ the Redeemer –located in the Tijuca National Park the 98 feet Statue of Christ is placed, known as one of the 7 wonders of the world. An amazing site. This is accessible by both stairs and elevators. This monument is wheelchair accessible. You can access this on your own, however with the guide we walked straight through.
Maracana Stadium – Opened in 1950 to host the World Cup, this stadium is the largest in the country, and for many years it was the largest stadium in the world.
The Metroplitan Cathedral of Saint Sebestian – An iconic landmark in Rio de Janeiro, a beautiful spiritual architect.
Sugar Loaf Mountain- a Mountain peak that sits approximately 396 meters and gives you amazing views of Rio de Janeiro. The cable car rides up the mountains allow you to see a bird's eye view from above. You can enjoy lunch, snacks, and shopping at the top of the mountain. This mountain view gives you many amazing photo opportunities.
The Selaron Steps –A famous tourist site, with colorful steps that are said to be a tribute to the Brazilian people. Lots of street vendors and souvenir shops are located around the steps.
Boat Trip Ilha Grande Bay Day Tour – Blue Lagoon (Natural Aquarium of Ilha Grande), Cataguases Island, Sant’anna Beach (sand beach), and Japariz Beach (sand beach) Full-day tour with transportation. The pickup locations are quite far from the boat dock (approximately 2.5 - 3 hours so be prepared to sit). The cost was reasonable, about $245R or USD 43.00. This included transportation from and to your hotel, a boat trip, and a buffet-style lunch. Extras cost for drinks and snorkeling gear.
Tijuca National Park - Urban national park located in the beautiful mountains of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with beautiful views, and access to caves and waterfalls it’s definitely a place you want to see. Tours are available but access to the park is free and accessible by uber or taxi however, service is bad up the mountain so I’d suggest a tour or paying to have the taxi/uber wait for you.
Places to Eat
Cavalo Marinho Beach Club – Beachfront restaurant
Paris 6 – Italian
Bibi 1993 – Super fresh acai bowls and smoothies, crepes, desserts, and fresh salads
Brahma – Beach hut restaurant with live music.
Restaurante Marius Degustare – Brazilian Seafood and Steakhouse.
Transportation
Our primary mode of transportation was Uber. Our Ubers were extremely inexpensive. I’m talking about $2.00-$3.00 for a 15-minute ride. Even the taxi services were reasonable. We took a taxi from one side of Rio de Janeiro to another with a stop in between which made it over an hour ride for around $20.00, insane. I say this to say don’t rent the car just Uber to wherever you want to go.
What to Know
The local language in Brazil is Portuguese. A few people from Columbia speak Spanish, but English is not widely spoken. We relied on Google Translate and the limited number of English speakers we met to get by.
Here are a few phrases you should practice and know
Portuguese - English
Bom dia - Good morning
Ola - Hi
Por favor - Please
Obrigado/a - Thank you
De nada - You’re welcome
Sim - Yes
Nao - No
Com licenca - Excuse me
Não falo português - I don’t speak Portugues
The local drink here is Cachaça, a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice. and Caipirinha is the local Brazilian cocktail, with cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor), sugar, lime, and ice.
Things you need
International Adapter to charge phones and other electronic devices
Bug Spray The mosquitos were very lively here.
Quality Suitcases to make sure your items are transported safely
Safety
While I felt safe here, I did meet a couple that had a gold chain stolen off their neck on their walk back from dinner. The people in the hotel will advise you that gold chains are a target here, so to avoid any trouble I’d suggest just leaving that at home or in the hotel room.
On the beach there are locals everywhere selling things, constantly walking up with a speech to get you to purchase something. They are nice but can be a little aggressive in talking, if you don’t wish to purchase just say Obigado and don’t make eye contact and they will move on.
